Article: Science Fair: A New Look at an Old Tradition Authors: William F. McComas Publisher: The Science Teacher Magazine
[Reviewed By David T. McArdle] Note: I did not realize that Roberta had chosen the same article until I had completed the assigned :(
The article entitled “The Science Fair: A New Look at an Old Tradition” appeared in the Science Teacher magazine in 2011. This article focuses on the "Science Fair" and its purpose in science education. The author explains how the science fair has been around for over 80 years and has always been considered to be an important aspect of all science curricula. He explains that "such activities have, for many students, become an annual rite of passage- eagerly anticipated by some and dreaded by others" (McComas). Throughout this article McComas discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of science fair projects and he also offers some insight into how these projects can be improved.
There are several significant advantages to having students partake in science fairs that McComas touches upon in this article. First of all, science fairs provide students with an opportunity to engage in a "high level" inquiry activity in which they independently (1) purpose a problem (2) design a research method and (3) make sense of the data. Through the years, as educational reform has taken on many different forms, inquiry based activities have always been deemed as important. These inquiry experiences allow students the opportunity to see how science is performed in the real world and understand how scientists use inquiry procedures to discover more about the world that we live in. Science fairs allow students the opportunity to receive first hand experience with these types of inquiry activities. McComas also explains that science fairs allow students to truly "appreciate" science. By designing and performing their own investigation, students will understand how much work goes into such a project and they will also understand more about the nature of science. They will see that scientists are not always correct and that investigations sometimes need to be changed and reworked in order to get accurate and reliable results. This scientific method, as McComas points out, is a wonderful way for students to see the true "arc of science" which involves recognizing problems, designing and redesigning experiments, interpreting results, and displaying results in a way that is intelligible to their peers. Teachers could simply teach these things directly to their students, but the act of "doing" is what helps the students meaningfully learn the concepts.
Although there are many benefits to having students perform science fair investigations, McComas points out in this article that there are also several disadvantages. The obvious disadvantage is that it is very time consuming for both the students and the teachers. In order for the science fair to be a success, the school needs to provide extra support for the students in the form of after school help. This can sometimes not fit in to either the teacher or the student's schedule. The amount of time that the science fair takes up can also affect the amount of material that is covered in the science curriculum. Another challenge to the science fair is determining how much support to offer the student. McComas explains "one of the biggest challenges in engaging students in high-level inquiry is figuring out when they are ready to go solo and when they still need some hand-holding." The students need to be scaffolded in order to be ready to complete a science fair project..
McComas then proceeds to make some recommendations to science teachers about how the science fair can be improved. He explains that the education of educators is an important aspect of the science fair that will help it run more smoothly. New teachers shouldn't have to reinvent the "science fair wheel" but rather they should learn from the more experienced teachers about the tips and tricks of the science fair. McComas also suggests that schools treat the science fair like an extra-curricular activity. Teachers should be available after school so that students can receive extra help if they may need it. He also suggests that science teachers treat the science fair as a long term project. It should be broken up into small portions that students can complete over time so that they won't have to pack the whole entire project in to one weekend. Finally, McComas suggests that the choice of topics should be a major priority. In order for students to find the science fair beneficial, they need to complete a project that is actually interesting to them. Educators need to help each student find such a topic.
After reading this article I am in complete agreement with the author. I agree that science fairs are incredibly beneficial for students and they truly help them experience the scientific process and understand what science is really all about. I think that if teachers were to break the science fair up into 8 different parts and spread the due dates for these assignments out over the course of 2 months or so, the students will be able to complete it little by little. This makes a major assignment seem more manageable and takes out a lot of the stress that is inherent in most science fair assignments. I also agree with McComas that it is crucial for students to choose a topic that is of interest to them. I would not want my students to complete a science fair project simply to complete it. I want them to enjoy the project and actually be interested in the results. In my future classroom I will certainly continue to assign my students a science fair project. If the school that I teach in does not partake in the science fair I will try to bring it back to life. I would however, try to make the project less extensive. I think some some science fairs are too extravagant and I would not want my students to do a lot of the busy work that is required in some science fair projects. It is the process that I am concerned about. Science fairs are definitely in line with my personal teaching philosophy because they allow students to see where science fits in around them and they are forced to use their curiosity about the world to determine what they would like to study.
Article: Science Fair: A New Look at an Old Tradition
Authors: William F. McComas
Publisher: The Science Teacher Magazine
[Reviewed By David T. McArdle]
Note: I did not realize that Roberta had chosen the same article until I had completed the assigned :(
The article entitled “The Science Fair: A New Look at an Old Tradition” appeared in the Science Teacher magazine in 2011. This article focuses on the "Science Fair" and its purpose in science education. The author explains how the science fair has been around for over 80 years and has always been considered to be an important aspect of all science curricula. He explains that "such activities have, for many students, become an annual rite of passage- eagerly anticipated by some and dreaded by others" (McComas). Throughout this article McComas discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of science fair projects and he also offers some insight into how these projects can be improved.
There are several significant advantages to having students partake in science fairs that McComas touches upon in this article. First of all, science fairs provide students with an opportunity to engage in a "high level" inquiry activity in which they independently (1) purpose a problem (2) design a research method and (3) make sense of the data. Through the years, as educational reform has taken on many different forms, inquiry based activities have always been deemed as important. These inquiry experiences allow students the opportunity to see how science is performed in the real world and understand how scientists use inquiry procedures to discover more about the world that we live in. Science fairs allow students the opportunity to receive first hand experience with these types of inquiry activities. McComas also explains that science fairs allow students to truly "appreciate" science. By designing and performing their own investigation, students will understand how much work goes into such a project and they will also understand more about the nature of science. They will see that scientists are not always correct and that investigations sometimes need to be changed and reworked in order to get accurate and reliable results. This scientific method, as McComas points out, is a wonderful way for students to see the true "arc of science" which involves recognizing problems, designing and redesigning experiments, interpreting results, and displaying results in a way that is intelligible to their peers. Teachers could simply teach these things directly to their students, but the act of "doing" is what helps the students meaningfully learn the concepts.
Although there are many benefits to having students perform science fair investigations, McComas points out in this article that there are also several disadvantages. The obvious disadvantage is that it is very time consuming for both the students and the teachers. In order for the science fair to be a success, the school needs to provide extra support for the students in the form of after school help. This can sometimes not fit in to either the teacher or the student's schedule. The amount of time that the science fair takes up can also affect the amount of material that is covered in the science curriculum. Another challenge to the science fair is determining how much support to offer the student. McComas explains "one of the biggest challenges in engaging students in high-level inquiry is figuring out when they are ready to go solo and when they still need some hand-holding." The students need to be scaffolded in order to be ready to complete a science fair project..
McComas then proceeds to make some recommendations to science teachers about how the science fair can be improved. He explains that the education of educators is an important aspect of the science fair that will help it run more smoothly. New teachers shouldn't have to reinvent the "science fair wheel" but rather they should learn from the more experienced teachers about the tips and tricks of the science fair. McComas also suggests that schools treat the science fair like an extra-curricular activity. Teachers should be available after school so that students can receive extra help if they may need it. He also suggests that science teachers treat the science fair as a long term project. It should be broken up into small portions that students can complete over time so that they won't have to pack the whole entire project in to one weekend. Finally, McComas suggests that the choice of topics should be a major priority. In order for students to find the science fair beneficial, they need to complete a project that is actually interesting to them. Educators need to help each student find such a topic.
After reading this article I am in complete agreement with the author. I agree that science fairs are incredibly beneficial for students and they truly help them experience the scientific process and understand what science is really all about. I think that if teachers were to break the science fair up into 8 different parts and spread the due dates for these assignments out over the course of 2 months or so, the students will be able to complete it little by little. This makes a major assignment seem more manageable and takes out a lot of the stress that is inherent in most science fair assignments. I also agree with McComas that it is crucial for students to choose a topic that is of interest to them. I would not want my students to complete a science fair project simply to complete it. I want them to enjoy the project and actually be interested in the results. In my future classroom I will certainly continue to assign my students a science fair project. If the school that I teach in does not partake in the science fair I will try to bring it back to life. I would however, try to make the project less extensive. I think some some science fairs are too extravagant and I would not want my students to do a lot of the busy work that is required in some science fair projects. It is the process that I am concerned about. Science fairs are definitely in line with my personal teaching philosophy because they allow students to see where science fits in around them and they are forced to use their curiosity about the world to determine what they would like to study.